Camilla Dallerup

Camilla Dallerup (born 6 April 1974) is an English-based Danish ballroom dancer, dance teacher and model.

Dance career

Dallerup was born in Aalborg, where she started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother took her to her first class. She won the Danish Junior Championships at the age of 12. Dallerup later moved to Auckland, New Zealand, where she competed with Brendan Cole, who also became her fiancé. In 2003, Dallerup and Cole were placed third in Latin American at the UK Closed Championships, and in the top 12 of the world professionals at the open British championships. She dances and runs a business with Ian Waite, with whom she was placed second for Latin American at the 2005 UK Closed Championships.

In 2006, Dallerup trained Travis Oliver and choreographed his Rumba for the movie Everything To Dance For, in which Cole also starred.^[1]

In September 2007, Dallerup and Cole represented the UK in the inaugural Eurovision Dance Contest 2007, placing fifteenth out of sixteen couples.^[2]

Strictly Come Dancing

Dallerup is best known to a wide audience for her appearances on the BBC's dance competition, Strictly Come Dancing, on which she appeared as a professional dancer in the first six series from 2004 to 2008. She won the show for the first time in 2008, partnering Holby City actor Tom Chambers. She subsequently revealed she would not be returning to the show for the 2009 series claiming that she had made her decision before she won with Chambers.^[3] She did however go on tour with Strictly Come Dancing in early 2009 with 2008 partner Tom Chambers.

During her time on Strictly Come Dancing Dallerup partnered:

• Series 1 - David Dickinson, voted out in the 3rd week
• Series 2 - Roger Black, voted out in the 6th week
• Series 3 - James Martin with whom she reached the semi-final, finishing in 4th place
• Series 4 - Ray Fearon, voted out in the 6th week
• Series 5 - Gethin Jones with whom she reached the semi-final, finishing in 3rd place
• Series 6 - Tom Chambers, winners

On 5 October 2009, on BBC Breakfast, she announced she would not compete in further series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Television

In 2005, Dallerup co-hosted the CBBC show Dance Factory with Nigel Clarke and Reggie Yates. During her time as Gethin Jones' partner on Strictly Come Dancing, she made multiple appearances on Blue Peter. In 2008, she appeared as a contestant on the second series of The Underdog Show, finishing in third place.

On 1 September 2007, Dallerup represented the UK, the host nation, at the first Eurovision Dance Contest, placing fifteenth out of sixteen couples with 18 points. In 2009, she was a judge on Skate Nation for BBC Two and CBBC.

In 2010, she was a guest on Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza on Sky1.

I'm a Celebrity...

In November 2009, Dallerup entered the Australian jungle as a contestant on the ninth series of the British reality television series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. Dallerup quit the show after being severely weakened by exhaustion and lack of food.

Modelling

Dallerup joined a modelling agency at a very early age in Denmark. In 2006, she was the face and legs for Aristoc stockings.

Acting Work

In 2011, Dallerup played the part of Elaine in Tim Firth's stage adaptation of the film Calendar Girls opposite her husband, Kevin Sacre. In 2014-15 she has worked in a the Cinderella pantomime at Chesterfield Pomegranate playing the fairy godmother. In her show she did singing, acting and danced with two of the boy dancers out of the adult assemble.

Personal life

Dallerup had danced and lived with Brendan Cole for six years before the first series of Strictly. In an interview, she explains that they had purchased a house and shared bank accounts and e-mail address. Cole's alleged affair with Strictly partner, Natasha Kaplinsky was "shattering".^[4] Dallerup married Hollyoaks actor Kevin Sacre on 29 July 2010 in a ceremony in Ibiza^[5] and the couple live in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.

References